


I Stand Right On The Line You Keep Crossing

by that_one_kid



Series: Away to Neverland: De-Aged Fics From All Fandoms (Eventually) [1]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Kid!Dana and kid!Fox are cute, Kid!Fic, Skinner is dad, Skinner tries so hard, some plot but mostly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 04:27:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9963818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_one_kid/pseuds/that_one_kid
Summary: Skinner rushes to Colorado when he hears that Agents Scully and Mulder have gone missing. He expects the worst. What he doesn't expect is custody of two young, bright, and obnoxious children named Fox and Dana.





	1. So It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> This is silly and fluffy (with a bit of plot and seriousness becuase Skinner deserves better than Krycek). Any anachronisms are intentional (probably) so fight me.

"Assistant Director Skinner?" Arlene said, her voice shaking. "I think you better get out here." Skinner jumped to his feet, grabbing for his pistol.

"What's wrong?" he said, pulling open his office door. Arlene was at her desk, pale-faced and with shaking hands.

"It's them. Sir. Agents Mulder and Scully. They've disappeared."

"No," Skinner said, his voice strained.  "When. Where?"

"Just now. They were investigating that new case, at that country home in Colorado," she said. "I can get you the address. Two other agents nearby got an SOS, but by the time they got there, they'd vanished, leaving two kids unattended."

"Kids?" Skinner said, already pulling on his coat.

"They think they were witnesses, being interviewed," she said, handing Skinner his wallet. "Here you go, sir. I got you tickets on the next flight out,"

"Thanks, Arlene," Skinner said. "I'll be in touch." He headed out of the office.

"Sir?" she called. He paused in the doorway, looking back. "Bring them back."

~ ~ ~ 

Skinner walked into the house, waving away the agents at the front door. Inside, two six-year-old kids were sitting awkwardly on the couch. The first one was a small, scrawny boy with tousled brown hair and large hazel eyes. The second child was a girl with short fiery red hair and flashing green eyes, and was about a head taller.

"Hey, mister. Can we go now?" the girl called, her tone sharp. "These policemen told us we had to stay on the couch,"

"I just have a few questions," Skinner said, kneeling down next to the couch. "Some friends of mine are missing,"

"We haven't seen-" the boy started, but the girl reached backwards and he yelped.

"If we tell you, can we go home?" she asked.

"You can go home whenever you want to," Skinner said. "But I'd really like to know if you've seen them. Two grown-ups, one man and one woman. They were FBI agents. We think they might have been asking you some questions."

"About the ghost!" the boy piped up. Skinner looked at him, and he shrank back behind the girl's shoulder. "The questions were about a ghost," he mumbled.

"Okay. Do you know where they went?" Skinner asked, fighting to keep his voice calm.

"Who are you?" The girl asked, making a face at him. "Why should we tell you?"  

"I'm... Walter. I work with the FBI. I'm here with the police."

"I'm Fox!" The boy piped up, and Skinner blinked. "I'm Dana," the girl grumbled, reluctantly.

"I'm... sorry? Dana Scully? Fox Mulder?" Skinner said. "Is this a joke of some kind?"

"It's not a joke." The girl said. "How do you know my last name? Where's my mom?"

Skinner looked around, helplessly. "What the hell happened this time, Mulder?" he asked, under his breath. Then, louder, he sighed. "All right. Do you two need to go to the bathroom? Are you hungry?"

"I need to use the ladies room," Scully complained.

"It's a house." Skinner pointed out. "You can use any of the bathrooms,"

"Oh. Okay." she said, and slid down off of the couch.  Skinner stood, rubbing at his knees. "What about you, son? You hungry?"

"Can I have a PBJ?" Mulder asked, his eyes wide and gleaming.

"Let me see what's in the kitchen." Skinner said, with a smile. "Maybe we can even find you a glass of milk,"

~ ~ ~

"Dana! Walter's making us PBJs!" Fox yelled. Skinner gave him a look, and he shrunk back a little.

"Fox, don't sit on the counter," Skinner said. "It's supposed to be a clean place."

"So why can't I sit on it?" Fox protested, kicking his feet against the  cabinets.

"Your bum is too dirty to make food on, so it shouldn't go on the counter,"  Skinner said, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist and lowering him to the floor.

"PB&Js?!" Scully called, sliding into the kitchen on the wood floor. She caught sight of Skinner, and she stumbled to catch herself on the counter. "I mean, if that's what everyone's having."

"It is," Skinner said, pulling out another plate.  "What kind of jam so you want?"

"Is it okay that we're eating their food?" Dana asked.

"Hm. Good point. I'm not sure what this case was about," Skinner said, more to himself than to anyone else. "I'll go and see if the agents can grab us some fresh foods."

He walked to the doorway, paused, and looked back. Dana gave him her most innocent smile, and Fox just looked back with wide eyes. "Okay, you're both coming with me," he said, walking over and taking their hands in his. They walked to the nook by the front door, where the two agents were sitting and playing cards.

"Agents? I think we've found our missing men, so let's just worry about tonight. Could you grab us some food? I'm not sure that these children have any adults nearby to stay with, so the FBI is going to offer custody."

"Sure," said the first agent, a tall young man with dark skin and a close-shaved head. "What kind of food so the kiddos want?"

"Ice cream!" Fox suggested, just as Dana chirped "Waffles!"

"Sandwiches." Skinner said to the agents, fighting back a grin. "Just bread and some peanut butter, and some jelly. A gallon of milk would be nice, too."

"Sure thing." The second agent said. She was shorter than her partner, with olive skin and a crew cut. "The kids seemed pretty out of it when we got here. They gonna be alright?”

"I think they're feeling better," Skinner said, glancing down. Dana was smiling and peeking at the cards on the table, and Fox was holding tightly onto Skinner's hand. "I'll keep an eye on them, though."

"All right. We'll be back before you know it." The female agent said, flashing a smile at Dana, who was now staring at her holstered weapon in awe.

"Sounds good." Skinner said, distractedly. He was trying to pry Fox off his leg, where he'd clamped himself to Skinner's suit pants. "We'll be here."

The agents gathered up their items and left, bickering good-naturedly about which grocery store was the nearest. Skinner tugged the kids back through the kitchen and into the den, where there were two couches, a TV, and a fireplace.

"I can't wait for my PBJ!" Fox announced. "I hope they cut the crusts off!"

"It's a PB and J." Dana corrected. "And cutting the crusts off is waste-ful." She said the word in two parts.

"You're full of waste." Fox grumbled. "An' I can have my sandwich how I want, you meanie,"

"Now kids, don't fight." said Skinner. Then, under his breath, he added, "At least some things never change." The front door creaked open, and Skinner stiffened.

"Kids, be quiet and stay here." he said, his hand going to the gun on his belt. He walked into the kitchen, and called out.

"Agent Levante? Agent Piper?", When the silence stretched out, he drew his gun. "Agents?" Then he staggered, a searing pain in his arm spreading to his chest. "No..." he whispered, as the kitchen swum around him. "Not now. Not now." He tried to shout for the kids, but couldn't summon the breath. He staggered forwards, trying to draw Krycek away from the den.

"Hey, old man," Krycek said, stepping into the kitchen. "Don't worry, you're still useful to me. I'm just here for the kiddos."

"They're just kids." Skinner gasped out. "What use could you possibly have for them?"

"Now, now, don't lie," Krycek said. "I know just who they are."

The sound of a gunshot echoed through the kitchen, and Krycek jerked forwards, blood blooming from his shoulder. Skinner collapsed, and Agent Levante rushed forwards, as Agent Piper holstered her gun and she quickly began cuffing Krycek's hands behind his back.

"The remote," Skinner managed. "Turn it off." Agent Levante dialed down the remote, and Skinner took a few deep, gasping breaths. "Wherever are the kids?"

"We're here," a quiet voice said from the edge of the kitchen. Piper swore softly, dragging the semi-unconscious Krrycek out of the kitchen and towards her car.

"I'll get him to the medics," she shouted back through the house. "Stay with them, Levante."

"Sounds good," the man replied, giving the kids a worried look. Mulder was half hidden behind Dana, who was staring at Skinner in concern.

"Are you okay? You fell down and sounded hurt." Fox said, his voice quavering.

"We know you told us to stay but we were worried about you." Dana added quickly.

"It's all right." Skinner said, picking up the remote and flicking it off, then shoving it into his jacket pocket. "That man hurt me with this, but then Agent Piper took him away so he couldn't hurt anyone else."

"Who wants hot chocolate?" Agent Levante asked suddenly, his smile bright against his dark skin. "I talked Agent Piper into getting us some." He leaned down towards the kids and whispered conspiratorially, "She was against it so I snuck it into the basket," Dana smiled, and Fox laughed.

"All right, hot chocolate it is," Skinner said, gently directing the kids towards the stove. "Why don't you help Agent Levante get set up?" He grabbed a towel, and turned away from the sudden excited chatter to wipe up the blood on the floor before the kids noticed.


	2. Cameos, Allusions, and The Spider Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all in the title

By the time Piper returned, in a clean uniform and looking a little less pale, the kids were sprawled out on the couches and Agent Levante and Skinner were on the ground, leaning back against the closest couch's base. A cartoon flickered on the television screen, and the kids were happily singing along to a song about, as far as Skinner could tell, a brain trying to take over the world. 

"He's in surgery, heavily sedated, and restrained." she said quietly to Skinner, with a glance up at the kids. 

"Thanks. You two have been invaluable," Skinner said, with a relieved smile. "Which agency do you work for, again?"

Their answer was interrupted by Mulder clambering onto Skinner's head and wrapping a blanket around his face. 

"I'm sorry," Skinner said, after a scuffle. He was flushed but had successfully captured Fox, who was now tucked under his arm. "I missed your answer."

"SHIELD," Agent Levante said, smiling at Fox's faint protests and speaking loud enough to be heard over Dana's repeating "I told you so,"' to the captured mischief maker. 

"Oh? I'll drop a line to Carter, then, and let her know you represented her agency well,"

"Much appreciated, sir." Piper said, ducking a flailing leg as Dana staged a rescue attempt to retrieve Fox from Skinner. 

"What're we watching?" Piper asked, settling into a more comfortable position as the kids squirmed free and piled together onto the couch closest the television. 

"Animaniacs," Levante answered, pointing at the television, his gaze still flickering around the windows and the doorways. 

~ ~ ~ 

A few episodes passed by, before Skinner jerked awake, finding himself in a semi-dark room. The other two agent's faint voices filtered in from the kitchen, where they sat keeping guard. 

"Walter?" a whispering voice repeated, and he looked to his left. Dana was standing there, her hair sticking out from her head at all angles. Even in the faint light, Skinner could tell that she'd been crying.

"What's wrong, Dana?" he asked, trying to keep his voice quiet. 

"I had a bad dream." she said, and Skinner pushed back the memory of another, older Scully showing up at his apartment. 

"I'm sorry," he said, and found himself adding, "Dreams can be very scary sometimes, but they can't hurt us." 

"Really?" Dana asked, her eyes wide and trusting. 

"Really." Skinner confirmed. "Would you like to stay over here for a little bit, until you're feeling better?" She nodded, brushing the back of her hand across her tear-stained face. Skinner patted his leg, and she clambered onto his lap, curling against his shoulder and falling asleep almost immediately. 

"Me too?" Another small voice asked, and Skinner looked up to the couch, where the pale face of Fox was peering back down at him. 

"Sure." Skinner said, with an internal sigh. Fox climbed down, cuddling up against Scully and leaning his head back against Skinner's chest. Weighted down by the slow breathing of the two trusting children, Skinner fell asleep almost immediately. 

~ ~ ~ 

Six days and seven hours after Skinner got the call that Scully and Mulder were missing, they finally arrived at Skinner's apartment. After a day of incredibly complicated travel (neither child had any legal documents that could be used at the airport and Skinner couldn't say he was their legal guardian) and after days of lab tests, the FBI had reluctantly concluded that Skinner hadn't gone insane and kidnapped two children, and had given the single least useful analysis Skinner had ever recieved. The phone rang. 

"Skinner," he said with a sigh, shifting the sleeping Fox to his other arm. "Oh, hey. Yeah, the lab techs said they think it'll wear off. They don't have any idea on the timeline." He moved the phone away from his mouth for a moment. 

"Dana, can you run and grab Fox's stuffed alien from the porch?" he asked her, and she nodded, pulling the front door open and slamming it behind her. 

"Just a second," he said into the phone. "I have to go put Fox to bed. Yes, hilarious, it sounds like I have kids. Thanks. Yeah. Shut up, Doggett. Bye." He hung up the phone, carried Fox into his bedroom, and laid the sleeping boy gently on the freshly-made bed. The front door slammed again, and Dana came pattering into the room, tossing Steve the Alien onto the bed next to Fox and running back out of the bedroom. Skinner tugged the boy's shoes off, and he was taking his heavy jacket off when he heard Dana scream. 

"Dana!" he shouted, already moving. He was in the living room next to her in seconds, his gun drawn. She was standing on the couch, pointing at the ground. Skinner holstered his gun and looked down, confused. Seconds later, Fox ran into the room with wide eyes and bare feet, looked down, and also screamed, jumping up on the couch next to Dana. 

"Spider! Spider!" he shouted, bouncing up and down. Skinner gave the children a look that froze armed federal agents in their tracks, reached down, and grabbed the spider. 

Silence reigned. 

He walked to the front door of the apartment and opened it. Fox and Dana followed along behind him, still silent. He set the spider on a bush outside, and it scuttled away into the plant. He closed the door, walked to the sink, and washed his hands. Only then did the children say anything. 

"Did you see-"

"He just grabbed it-"

"Didn't even flinch-"

"Took it outside-"

"Walter is scary when-"

"Children." Skinner said, crouching down next to them. "Spiders are more afraid of you than you are of them."

"Like bees?" Dana asked, incredulous. "How can we tell?"

"I- uh... An excellent question for later inquiry." Skinner said. "Fox, I thought you were tired."

"Now I'm awake!!" The boy said, back to his usual bright-eyed self. Skinner sighed. 

"I'll make some mac and cheese, but then you really should both get some sleep. It's been a long week,"


	3. Home Again Home Again

Dana groaned. Her head felt like it was full of cotton fluff and silly putty, and the room was full of slanting light. She looked around, confused as to where she was. She was lying in a bed, in pajamas she didn't think she owned, next to Mulder. The room was unfamiliar and plain, and the only hint as to the owner was probably the small framed picture on the nightstand. Dana definitely did not own these pajamas. They were the kind of pajamas that covered the feet and zipped up, and this one looked like a monkey. 

"Do they even make these in adult sizes?" she mused, apparently out loud, because Mulder stirred.

"Where are we?" he groaned softly, his eyes squeezed shut. 

Dana reached out and picked up the framed picture on the bed stand next to her. It was a silly picture that Doggert had taken, when they'd all been a little drunk and Skinner and Mulder had taken turns making faces and trying to get Dana to laugh. It was framed in a plain wooden frame, reminiscent of something she'd seen before. 

"I, uh," she started, her voice suddenly full of fondness. "I think we're in Skinner's house."

"What?" Fox sat bolt upright. "Why? Have we lost time?" He glanced at his wrist. Dana looked up from the picture and burst out laughing. 

"What?" Fox asked, looking concerned. "Dana?" She only laughed harder, helplessly waving a hand at his pajamas. He was also wearing footie pajamas, only his were bright pink and gave a princess's dress and shining magic wand. 

The door creaked open, and Skinner stuck his head in. Dana fought back her giggles and looked up. He looked a little out of it, Dana noted, with dark circles under his eyes and with a stiffness to his movements. 

"Kids?" he said, and then he caught sight of Scully. "Oh, thank god. I'm not sure I could have slept on my couch for another night."

"Skinner?" Mulder said, catching sight of first his AD and then noticing his partner's monkey pajamas. "What the hell is happening?"

"Long story." Skinner said, and took a picture. He held up a hand to forestall their protests. "Believe me, I've earned this picture. You two are a menace."

"How so?" Dana asked, feeling slightly affronted, then blushing as she slowly began to remember the events of the last few days. 

"To start, Fox would only drink chocolate milk, which can't be healthy." Skinner said, opening the door all the way and grabbing a bag out of the closet. He pulled out two pantsuits and handed one to each agent. "Then he wouldn't fall asleep without Steve, which wouldn't have been a problem if Dana hadn't kept stealing and hiding him to see what he'd do." Scully was laughing with her hands over her face, and Mulder was blushing out to his ears. "And don't even get me started on the spider incident."

"Please tell me no one else-"

"Pretty much the whole agency, Mulder." Skinner said, with a shrug. "I'm a single dad, I needed some help every now and then." 

"But-"

"On the bright side, we have a lot more higher-ups convinced of the serious nature of this department," Skinner continued, as if he hadn't heard them. "Anyway, kids, you'd better get dressed. Breakfast will be on the table in five minutes." He closed the door behind him as he left. 

"Oh god," Scully said, muffled since she was speaking through her hands. 

"We never speak of this again," Mulder said, his face still red. 

"But, Mulder." Dana protested. Then she smirked. "The truth is out there." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The picture on Skinner's table is this one: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e6/92/f8/e692f829dec04de39bace882a382a17d.jpg


End file.
